You Cannot See a Label From Inside the Jar Your firm is composed of Principals, Project Managers, and Staff Designers. A firm can get stuck when ownership doesn’t train project managers to become principals. Some firms feel that it costs too much to appropriately train project managers. But as Zig Ziglar once said, “It’s one …
Surprises, by nature, are hard to anticipate. In the roller-coaster world of construction, the person who anticipates the unexpected, usually wins. As a risk-management specialist for nearly three decades, my success comes from predicting the future for my clients, helping them maximize profit and minimize risk. One way I do this is by staying apprised …
The evil three “D’s” of construction–and how A/E’s can protect themselves Read More »
We are living in unprecedented times. The current crisis has created a lot of uncertainty. Virtually every business has been impacted in some way–many are struggling to survive. As always, companies that are forward-thinking and can adapt will probably sustain this crisis. Some may even come out AHEAD. You need to be thoughtful and strategic, …
Most architects I know chose their career because they love to create beautiful designs. I really admire that mindset, and it makes them awesome at what they do. Yet the same creativity and perfectionism that makes architects great, can sometimes put their business and profits at risk. In almost any creative career, there’s a constant …
Architects: Here’s how to consistently create beautiful, cost-effective projects Read More »
Running an architecture firm—large or small—is full of challenges. Employee retention, new business development, and keeping current with technologies are just a few of the issues that partners and principals must manage on a daily basis. Yet as critical are they are, financial matters too frequently get bumped down on the agenda. The consequence of …
5 easy ways architects can increase their profits Read More »
In Part 1, we covered taking control of the submittals schedule and managing RFIs. Let’s move on to properly allocating substitutions and limiting change orders. In our previous post, we began discussing how you, the AE professional, can control the flow of information during the construction phase and, at the same time, create strategies to manage risk, …
Harness the connection between managing risk and increasing profitability, Part 2 Read More »
As an architect or engineer, it’s important to anticipate potential issues and problems that can—and usually do—arise during the construction phase of a project. As you probably know by now, issues don’t typically arise during the design phase, when you have the most control and the best leverage with the owner. Unfortunately, problems usually happen …
Harness the connection between managing risk and increasing profitability, Part 1 Read More »
Many architects and engineers don’t like to talk about money. This isn’t to say that architects aren’t good business people, it’s just that money typically is not the reason an architect or engineer is drawn to their career; it’s about design. However, your clients – owners, developers, institutions, and corporations – are used to discussing …
